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Jarhead [2005]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Wade Williams, Matthew Atherton, Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsgaard
directed by: Sam Mendes

May 15, 2006
"Gripping, intelligent and amazing" is the pull quote on the back of the DVD sleeve and it's the closest opinion to my own.
If you want an all action war film, this won't be at the top of your lift. Jarhead is one of the only (in my brief viewing of the many war films out there) 'intelligent' war films out there thanks to it being based on the main character's personal experience in the Gulf.

The casting is spot on with Jake Gyllenhaal in the role of Swoff, whose face looks every part a seasoned Marine the moment it appears. Jamie Foxx plays Staff Sgt. Sykes, who I can't help but feel rings of Samuel L Jackson at points...

The film, though, feels disjointed. The intro of the film begins with a salute (no pun!) ... Read More:

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Les Miserables (2 Disc Collector's Edition)

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Michael Ball, Colm Wilkinson, Philip Quast, Ruthie Henshall, Jenny Galloway
directed by: Gavin Taylor

November 14, 2005
This is a concert with actors from all different countries around the world coming together to celebrate this performance. The music is beautiful & the songs moving. The more I watch this DVD the more I enjoy it. The stage show I have seen countless times & still look foward to going again.I wish I had been at this gala, but sadly missed it, but to have it on dvd is a bonus & a must.Buy, watch & enjoy. It will be a regular disc in your player..Guaranteed.

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Casablanca [1942]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt
directed by: Michael Curtiz

June 01, 2006
This used to be my favourite. I went to see it at a cinema in the 70s, when it was distinctly arthouse. Times change, though. Now the racism grates too much. When it was made I'm sure it was meant to be radical. Rick saying he does not sell human beings when offered a price for Sam might have been cutting edge in '42. Not now.

It does not matter how captivating Ms Bergman is, I cannot see past her using that American racist insult, 'boy'.

Sam, of course, does not even have two dimensions to his character.

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The Phantom Of The Opera

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Minnie Driver, Miranda Richardson
directed by: Joel Schumacher

May 02, 2005
As I have never seen the stage show, I cannot compare the two. I have heard the music many times and always wanted to see it, now that I am able to I can say that it is one of the best musicals I have ever seen. The story is dramatic and sends shivers up your spine every 2 minutes. It takes you back in time to the point where I came out thinking that I should be wearing a corset and have my best puffy dress on. I love the attention to detail, not one thing looks out of place. The theatre looks amazing and the cinimatography is very good. I also thought that the actors fitted the roles perfectly, and their voices surprised me. Gerard Butler's voice was amazing, even though he had not sung before, he was the best phantom I've heard (though I am not saying that past ones have ... Read More:

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The Dam Busters [1954]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Richard Todd, Michael Redgrave, Ursula Jeans, Basil Sydney, Patrick Barr
directed by: Michael Anderson

January 08, 2007
This film was exciting when I saw it in 1956 in Holland, and it is just as exciting now. How can one miss with the superb talent of Michael Redgrave, the stirring music of Eric Coates, and a gripping yarn that happens to be true? Much of the fascination of this film stems from its depiction of Barnes Wallis's process of planning and perfecting the bouncing bomb, and persuading Whitehall to go along with his eccentric idea. Equally interesting are the various makeshift devices, such as the range-finding lights and the home-made bombsight.

"The Dam Busters" tells the story of ingenuity and courage during wartime. In the wrong hands, such a topic might be heavy handed, but one of the things that British filmmakers of the 1950s did so well was to deliver their patriotic ... Read More:

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Brigadoon [1954]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Gene Kelly, Van Johnson, Cyd Charisse
directed by: Vincente Minnelli

May 16, 2005
this is a really weird film. i remember watching it for the first time at my grandma's house and even after all those years i never forgot it, so when i found it on dvd i jumped at the chance to own this clever and brilliantly filmed musical!!watch it!!

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Citizen Kane [1942]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead, Everett Sloane, George Coulouris
directed by: Orson Welles

January 05, 2004
Last year, the American Film Institue released their second poll declaring the 100 Greatest Films ever made. Citizen Kane, for the second time around, came in at number 1. After watching, one doesn't have any trouble seeing why it was voted as the greatest film of all time. The acting, particularly from Orson Welles, who at 27 did a performance which spanned six decades, is remarkable. The cinematography, editing and music too are astonshing. However, it is the way that through it you can see a wide range of techniques used in lots of films following it that makes watching it an experience, not a way of passing the time.

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Tom And Jerry - Classic Collection - Vol. 1

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Tom And Jerry

April 05, 2004
I must say that I have always been a Tom & Jerry fan, so it was long overdue for me to start owning the collection. I bought Volumes 2 & 3 at the same time as getting this one, and despite any editing and overdubbing, I still enjoy settling down to a couple of hours fun entertainment from these timeless characters. My little toddler son also enjoys the Tom & Jerry cartoons - and it takes a lot to get him to sit still for a few minutes - he really seems to like the mouse character as he squeals with delight and claps his hands. Good DVD, would recommend this to all fans, old and young alike.

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Some Like It Hot - Special Edition [1959]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, George Raft, Pat O'Brien
directed by: Billy Wilder

November 26, 2001
This film appeals on so many levels - it's a farce, a sophisticated comedy, a gangster movie, a musical - some classic lines and probably a good contender for the best last line ever. Please watch this, it's that good.

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Much Ado About Nothing [1993]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Kenneth Branagh, Richard Briers, Michael Keaton, Robert Sean Leonard, Keanu Reeves
directed by: Kenneth Branagh

May 21, 1999
Flicking through my recommendations on Amazon today I came across this. Well I bought it when it first came out on DVD so thought I would add my voice to those other reviews about the quality. I won't say to much about the film. For me it was very, very enjoyable. Well acted (a pleasure to see so many British stars mixed with those from across the pond), well directed (the scene where Beatrice and Benedict are 'captured' by the trap is superb), with good music and wonderful scenery.

Such a shame then that the DVD is so sloppily put together. In Mono only! No scene selection. No 'making of'. No directors' comments. Surely the time has come for a new edition?

I have most of Kenneth Branagh's work and enjoyed immensely his comments on 'Loves Labours Lost' and would really ... Read More: